Streaming his imagination in and around Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Kim Carpenter AM has created a series of 28 magical watercolour paintings that reflect The Dream’s poetry and universal themes of love, power and enchantment.
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream has been a part of my artistic world since the age of 17,” said Carpenter. “Post Peter Brook’s landmark production in 1970, The Dream has received many diverse stage interpretations from directors and designers from around the world – including my own production in 1985 featuring Hugo Weaving as Oberon.”
Now, in a solo show, I take another approach. Inspired by the ambiguity of Shakespeare’s Dream Forest – with its mercurial fairies, mysterious insects and devious beasts who play hosts to the drug-induced lovers – overseen by the devilish Puck under the command of Oberon, King of The Fairies.”
“It is a world enhanced by magic where time and space do not exist and is open to interpretation. Pure gold to my imagination,” said Carpenter.
Starting out as a student of John Olsen at his Bakery Art School in his teens, and two outstanding solo shows at the then renowned Holdsworth Galleries, Kim followed up from the age of 19 with a highly distinguished and multi-award-winning career at the top of Australian theatre.
Significant leadership roles include Founder and Artistic Director of Theatre of Image, Artistic Consultant for The Disney Corporation Asia-Pacific, Head of Design NIDA, Co-Artistic Director Nimrod His most recent exhibition, WILDE: Life and Fantasy, at Maunsell Wickes gallery in 2022 was inspired by Oscar Wilde’s life and work
Kim Carpenter – The Dream Show (in & around A Midsummer Night’s Dream)
Maunsell Wickes Gallery, 19 Glenmore Road, Paddington
Exhibition continues to 27 April 2024
Free entry
For more information, visit: www.maunsellwickes.com for details.
Image: Kim Carpenter, Rock the ground – the wedding party, from the series, The Dream Show (in & around A Midsummer Night’s Dream), watercolour and Caran d’Ache crayon on arches paper, 80 x 97cm – courtesy of the artist